Nearly 100,000 people have declared themselves victims of sexual violence among the Boy Scouts of America between February and Monday, November 16, the deadline for benefiting from a compensation fund set up by the main scouting organization in the United States. . These “95,000” complaints were filed by Americans aged 10 to over 90, according to Paul Moses, lawyer for some victims, after this census.
These figures, which reveal the scale of the alleged violence committed over decades by Scout leaders, clearly outweigh the complaints made in recent years against the Catholic clergy. “To our knowledge, there have been 11,000 complaints globally against the Catholic Church”, eight times less than in the Boy Scouts, noted Andrew Van Arsdale, member of a team of lawyers who represents the victims of this violence.
“This is by far the biggest scandal of sexual violence in the United States”, added Paul Moses, stressing that scouting had long provided an environment ” perfect “ for pedophiles: “Boys take an oath of loyalty, are estranged from their parents, and isolated in the wilderness. “
“We are horrified by the number of lives that have suffered from past violence among Scouts and touched by the courage of those who broke the silence”, commented, without confirming the figures, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in a statement. “We had voluntarily opened an easy-to-access process to help victims seek compensation. Their response is heartbreaking, we are sincerely sorry ”, adds this organization, founded in 1910 and which has around 2.2 million members aged 5 to 21.
The “files of perversion”
Plagued by accusations of sexual violence which have already given rise to expensive lawsuits, she filed for bankruptcy in February in order to freeze all claims for compensation filed by former boy scouts in court and redirect them to a fund compensation. The American Scouts, who value their assets at over $ 1 billion, have not said how much they intend to spend on the fund.
Negotiations will now begin between the groups of victims, Boy Scouts of America and their insurers, to determine the amounts to be allocated. “The Scouts are probably going to have to sell some of their properties”; it’s a process ” complicated “ which could last one or two years, according to Me Moses, who in 2010 had obtained nearly $ 20 million for a former Boy Scout abused by his leader.
The verdict of this trial also resulted in the publication of secret archives, dubbed the “Files of perversion”, which contained the names of thousands of Scout leaders suspected of sexually assaulting children in their care. Most had never been reported to the authorities, the organization confined itself to removing them.
The lawsuits have since multiplied against Boy Scouts of America, in particular after the extension by several states of the limitation periods for pedophile assaults.
“Clerical culture”
Also shaken by pedophile scandals, the American Catholic Church gathered its bishops on Monday for their annual conference, virtually. Their agenda has been altered so they can discuss a damning Vatican report released last week on the abuse of defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and the silence of his peers.
The 450-page document details the reports made to several American bishops by young priests and seminarians sexually assaulted by the prelate, which did not lead to an investigation.
“It will take us time to digest all the lessons” of this report, which details “Multiple errors over several years” linked “To our clerical culture”, said José Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and president of the conference.
“Individually, and collectively, we apologize for the trauma caused”, he added, before starting a dialogue with the other bishops who in turn suggested improving ” transparency “ in the Church, the “Training” and the “Selection” priests, but also “To pray and do penance”.
